Japan courts ASEAN, hopes to keep ahead of China

Japan courts ASEAN, hopes to keep ahead of China

Eric Talmadge, Associated Press, Tokyo

Hoping to bolster its political presence amid a growing challenge from China, Japan will play host this week to leaders from around Southeast Asia in a summit expected to focus on trade and regional security.

Bringing to Japan the 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the two-day summit is the first of its kind and underscores Tokyo's efforts to strengthen relations with the bloc.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who proposed the summit after touring the ASEAN countries last year, is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders from Wednesday, attend both days of talks and host a state dinner in their honor. The leaders were also to have tea at the Imperial Palace with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

Among the leaders attending are Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri. Gen. Khin Nyunt, the prime minister of Myanmar's military government, will also attend, despite a Japanese aid boycott over the detention of pro- democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Even before the general's arrival, a handful of pro-democracy activists had already staked out on Monday in front of Japan's Foreign Ministry in protest. Kyaw San, one of the rally organizers, said more protests were planned during the summit.

Though billed as a "commemorative" summit, the gathering was not expected to be solely symbolic.

Koizumi was expected to discuss the expansion of ties through free trade agreements and sign the 27-year-old Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia - a nonaggression pact whose members pledge respect for each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

ASEAN's 500 million people - about 17 percent of the world's population - make it an attractive market for Japan. Japan is already the bloc's second-biggest trading partner and investor, after the United States. ASEAN's combined trade with Japan was worth an estimated 13.4 trillion yen (US$122.9 billion) in 2002.

Tokyo has generally focused most of its attention on Washington, but its decision to host the ASEAN leaders meeting has been regarded as reflecting concerns that the country is falling under the shadow of China.

China has already signed the ASEAN security pact. It also inked a free trade pact on agricultural products with Thailand in October, while Japan's talks with Bangkok were stalling over fears that Thai rice will flood the domestic market and hurt farmers, a powerful political lobby group.

Still, Yonosuke Hara, a professor of Southeast Asian economics at the University of Tokyo, said he doesn't believe China is as much of a threat as many think.

"I don't believe it's necessary to be afraid of China," he said. "Rather than the threat of China, we should be more watchful of the change in the overall order in Southeast Asia."

To reassure ASEAN leaders of Japan's commitment, officials said on Monday that Japan will continue to earmark roughly 30 percent of its overseas development assistance to the region. Japan provided about $75 billion in ODA in 2002, of which $21 billion went to ASEAN.

Japan has been holding regular meetings with ASEAN since 1977, but this is the first summit it has hosted in Tokyo.

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.